Physical Displays of Affection
by virtualfindingsdocumented
Summary: Five times Beatrice kissed Lemony, and one she didn't.


Beatrice Baudelaire is twelve when she has her first kiss. Her class was just back from a field trip, and graduation is near. She doesn't know when she will see any of her friends again (except for O).

She and Lemony are close, very close, and she isn't sure of where the line is. She knows many of their associates are convinced they are dating. Lemony doesn't confirm nor deny the theory, but he always blushes and starts rambling about something- _anything_. She finds it charming, in a way.

There's no audience that night as they finish their root beer floats in the same place as always. It's an impulse, like some of the best choices Beatrice has made in her life. If she thought, she would remember Lemony isn't fond of physical displays of affection in public, not even with his siblings. He isn't fond of physical displays of affection in general. So it's good that Beatrice has the impulse to make the first move, because he would never, and both of them would have to be content with wanting only.

It is quick, just a touch of lips, and it is a bit awkward. Beatrice giggles. Why is this such a big deal? Lemony blushes, his face acquiring a shade of red she had never seen before. She starts apologizing, but he interrupts her with his laugh, and soon she is laughing too, as if there is no worry in the world.

* * *

Beatrice is sixteen and she is busy. She is very busy all the time, ever since she finished her apprenticeship. There is always a mission to do, a code to break, a Russian novel to read.

She worries a lot. Her friends are always in danger, and one particular friend she hasn't seen since they were kids seems to be always causing trouble.

She fears she will never see him again.

Then, one day, he is right there, entering her hiding place by the window (no one was supposed to know she was there). He is a mess, but he is so beautiful.

They kiss before exchanging any words. The kiss is full of a longing feeling she always felt hard to describe in English. It is full of _need_. It is full of a physical attraction that wasn't there when they were kids.

It is the best feeling Beatrice has experienced in a long time.

* * *

Beatrice is eighteen and she is scared. They put a gun in her hands and left her to clean the blood. She knows it is for the greater good but the gun is still heavy, it's all too hard and she thinks she can't do it.

She does it anyway.

And she is left unable to look at herself, unable to sleep, unable to go on under the weight of her actions.

Lemony is there for her. He is always there for her. He has words to comfort her (too many words), he holds her every night and he kisses her to show that it's alright, that she is still worthy for him, that she is not unlovable.

It works.

* * *

Beatrice is twenty and life is a thrilling adventure. She is afraid, but fear has never stopped her before. Her acting skills are extraordinary, and someone she trusts got her back.

For an act that could change everything, stealing that sugar bowl was too easy.

She celebrates at night with Lemony. He says he is proud of her and that now they will get things back on track. He rambles about their shared goals, about her latest performance, about marriage and children.

He is clearly apprehensive.

They kiss, and for a moment Beatrice doesn't know who is trying to calm down who.

* * *

Beatrice is twenty-two and everything is falling apart. She gets an anonymous letter threatening her and those she loves. It is not the first, and she doubts it will be the last.

She knows her enemies are powerful: she lost her job and there have been attempts to take her life. Lemony tries not to worry her, but she knows he is in danger as well. The wedding date is approaching, and she fears the party will end in tragedy.

They meet in the old restaurant, late at night, when no one would be able to find them. Still, a careless waiter drops something in their drinks.

Lemony laughs. He is willing to take the risks, Beatrice knows. She kisses him. It is lovely, how brave he is.

She wants to drop it all: the organization, all the plans for a bright future, the whole fight to make the world a better place. She knows it is selfish, but she is tired of fighting for the world. She wants to fight for herself for once. She longs for a calm life, for stability. A nice house somewhere far away, where no one knows her name. Maybe a family.

She knows Lemony would never do it. That's one of the reasons she loves him so much.

* * *

Beatrice is twenty-three and nothing in her life went the way she thought it would. She is on a faraway island, and with a simple exchange of words, she is married.

The man she is marrying is not the man she has spent most of her life with. But Bertrand is far from being second best, or a replacement. He earned his place in her heart and in her life, and being with him makes Beatrice happier than she thought she could be after all she has lost.

She wants a proper ceremony when they go back to the City, but it may be too dangerous to do so. Well, they should at least get the papers.

For now, this simple exchange of words is enough.

Beatrice kisses her husband, sealing the start of their new life. For the first time in a long time, she feels that things will be alright.


End file.
